Mephistopheles' School of Magic (1902)
"Les trésors de satan" (original title)

The setting of this fantastic scene represents the hall of an old chateau in which a miser has locked up seven large bags containing his wealth. Satan, who has made his way into the chateau... See full summary »

Director:

Georges Méliès

Writer:

Georges Méliès

Stars:

Georges Méliès

Cast

Credited cast:
Georges Méliès

Storyline

The setting of this fantastic scene represents the hall of an old chateau in which a miser has locked up seven large bags containing his wealth. Satan, who has made his way into the chateau, puts the seven bags in a strong box, and makes with his hands some cabalistic motions. The miser comes into the hall and is greatly astonished to find his fortune missing. He opens the coffer and immediately the bags leap out. He gathers them up and puts them back into the coffer. When he opens it again he finds that they have been transformed into seven young girls, who rush out and chase after him, beating him unmercifully. They shut him up in the coffer from which his gold has vanished. The miser pushes open the lid of the coffer, and to his profound despair finds that both young girls and money have disappeared. (This view is most sensational in its mysterious scenes.)

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Plot Keywords:

wraith | spectres

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Genres:

Short | Comedy | Fantasy

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Details

Country:

France

Release Date:

February 1903 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Devil's Money Bags

Company Credits

Production Co:

Georges Méliès, Star-Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

3 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Treasures of Satan, The

Treasures of Satan, The (1902)

*** (out of 4)

aka Les Tresors de Satan

Highly imaginative fil from Melies has Satan, with the help from two assistants, putting his gold into a wooden crate but when they leave a room a thief breaks in with plans on stealing the money. However, the thief doesn't know that Satan's magical powers still has a hold on the money. This is a very fun film that manages to use some of the same old magic tricks but do them in a way that they come off very fresh. There's one great sequence where the chest swallows the thief and how it ends is great fun. The scene with the money dancing is also nicely done. The special effects hold up quite well today and the charming nature of the story makes this a must see.